Preparedness

What is a Whole-House Surge Protector?

a plug going into an outlet

To answer this, let's first answer the question: what is a power surge? A power surge occurs when there is more power being sent somewhere than normal. There are many causes such as electrical overload, lightning strikes, brownouts etc., but each can uniquely cause damage to your property. So you can think of a surge protector as a line of defense for when this happens.

There are different types of surge protectors, which you can read about here, but we are going to focus on whole-house surge protectors which are generally connected to your homes’ electrical service panel and work by diverting excess power from outside through your homes’ grounding line. Unlike some other types of surge protectors, these protectors do not protect from surges created internally in the home when motors turn on and off. Instead whole-house surge protectors help extend the life of appliances and electronics, protect your home from outside surges, and reduce wasted energy.

A whole-house surge protector is a great first step in a layered defense against surges. When power comes to your home, having a whole-house surge protector installed on your panel will stop most of the excess power from coming through. However, excess power can still leak past this kind of protector, so it would be a good idea to also have plug-in surge protectors installed as well to aid in the protection of your home and appliances.

Power surges occur frequently in the U.S and although you may not notice any significant damage, over time they reduce the lifespan of your appliances and they may cause them to just stop working. So, if you want protection from the dangers of voltage spikes, call our trustworthy team of electricians today at (210) 899-2430 and we will be happy to service you!